The Black Phoenix
by Blkphnx
Summary: Harry travels back in time in hope of saving those he can and a chance to meet his parents. But what if all he believed to be true was exposed to be a lie? Can he survive it? Does the darkness consume him or will he embrace it? Harry/Harem
1. Chapter 1

**The Black Phoenix**

**Chapter 1**

**Disclaimer:**

All recognizable characters and situations in this story are the property of J. and various related publishers. The author does not claim to own any of these characters and is not associated with any of the franchisee owners. This story is meant purely for non-commercial recreational purpose and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Privet Drive, Little Whinging**

**July 1**

To say Harry Potter was angry would be an understatement. He was incredibly pissed and you could feel it a meter away from him. Even the Dursleys picked it up and didn't bother him.

Given Harry had a very short fuse, one might wonder what was the problem this time. Harry had just seen his Godfather fall through the veil only to have Dumbledore dump on his head that he was the savior of the wizarding world and it was his job to kill Voldemort. Harry thought of telling Dumbledore to piss off then and there but kept his calm.

He was sick of the the wizarding world. They were a bunch of sheep who believed what others wanted them to believe. He honestly wondered if he really wanted to save them. He was sure that his parents would agree with them. No parent wanted their son to be burdened with the fate of the wizarding world.

And the Daily Prophet. They were worse. Last year they slandered him and called him an attention seeking brat. Now they touted him as the Chosen One who would bring them peace. He would gut the next person who called him the Chosen One.

"Argh! Why cant my life be simple." Harry bitterly wondered.

Just then a rustle of feathers alerted him to the presence of a majestic looking owl. It held a letter with the Gringotts seal on it. Wondering what Gringotts would need with him now he removed the letter.

_Lord Potter,_

_It has come to our attention that you have not been made fully aware of your wealth and your true heritage has been hidden from you. We at Gringotts express our humble apologies at this oversight and ensure you that we will take all steps to ensure that this is remedied as soon as possible. This letter will also function as a portkey to Gringotts. When you are ready to leave just tap the letter with your wand and say 'Gringotts'. It will take you directly to a private meeting room where we can discuss at length with all concerned matters._

_We await your arrival._

_Lord Ragnok,_

_Chairman of Gringotts._

Bemused, Harry wondered what he should do. "What if it's a trap laid by Voldemort", he wondered. But something told him that it wasn't a trap and the allure of learning about his heritage was too much for him to resist. So he tapped the letter with his wand muttering "Gringotts". He felt the familiar jerking sensation behind his navel as he closed his eyes.

* * *

**Gringotts Private Meeting Room**

**July 1**

Harry opened his eyes to find himself in one of the most opulent chambers he had seen. The walls were filled with portraits of ancient goblins. The ceiling was dome-shaped with flamboyant golden trimmings. It was then he noticed a stately looking goblin seated behind a huge desk filled with paperwork.

The goblin rose and welcomed Harry. "Thank you for coming Lord Potter. I am Ragnok, the chairman of Gringotts"

"How could I not after knowing what the meeting was about? And please call me Harry, Mr. Ragnok."

"Very well Harry. I am sure you must have a lot on your mind so we shall start without further ado. Please be seated."

Harry sat down opposite the goblin and waited for him to start. He noticed several legal documents lying on the table all bearing different seals. He recognized some of them but a few were alien to him.

"Harry, as I mentioned in the letter, the reason I wanted to talk to you was regarding your heritage. It seems not only have you been made aware of your parents will but also about your family's history or specifically the Potter history." said Ragnok.

Harry blinked. It had never occurred to him that his parents might have left him a will. He asked Ragnok, "Why now? All these years I never had any information regarding my parents. Why contact me out of the blue."

"It is the responsibility of your magical guardian to intimate you of your inheritance. It seems he has failed in that responsibility and we were not aware of his breach until now." replied Ragnok.

"Who is my magical guardian?" asked Harry although in his heart he was afraid of the answer.

"Albus Dumbledore" replied Ragnok.

Harry could feel his anger threatening to overwhelm him. "Damn that manipulating bastard. What right does he have to keep this knowledge from me?" he fumed. Afraid that he might lose control, he took long calming breaths to control his anger.

"Tell me everything." he commanded Ragnok not noticing that his voice had taken an ominous tone.

Ragnok sensing the young man's mood chose not to call attention to it. He said "I have your parent's will here. It says they leave all their properties and wealth to you and also states conditions for your custody should anything happen to them. You were to be placed with Sirius Black, the Longbottoms or the Bones. Under no reason were you to be placed under the Dursleys. It explicitly stated so. It seemed that Dumbledore had circumvented your parent's wishes. That was what that got us interested in you and we found out how you were kept in the dark about your family and inheritance."

Harry's eyes smoldered as he thought of the injustice Dumbledore had committed. With forced calm he asked Ragnok, "How can I revoke Dumbledore's Guardianship?"

"You have to claim the inheritance of the House of Potter and you will automatically be emancipated as the head of the house. But before we move to that we have some additional matters to take care of. As I mentioned in the letter you have some additional heritages to claim." said Ragnok.

"Additional Heritages? How could that be? I thought my mother was muggle-born."

"Indeed. Your mother was muggle-born but your father's family is one of the oldest families in the wizarding world. You are the sole survivor of several extinct family lines. So it is up to you to claim them." said Ragnok.

"Then why didn't my father claim them?" asked Harry.

"Gringotts usually does not inform people about their additional heritages for fear of vesting too much power in their hands. But in your case we thought we might make an exception. As it could aid you in your battle against Voldemort." replied Ragnok.

Harry was taken aback. "What makes you think I would be fighting Voldemort. Its not as if a mere boy like me can defeat him."

"Come now Harry. Voldemort has repeatedly tried to kill you since you were young. He would not expend so much energy if you did not pose a threat to him. Also the Prophet's been touting you as the Chosen One. While I don't believe everything the say they mostly have a grain of truth behind it. And my instinct tells me it's more than a grain this time around." said Ragnok.

Harry nodded as he digested what Ragnok said. "So tell me about the heritages."

"I think this will give you a list of all your inheritances." said Ragnok handing Harry a piece of parchment.

Harry looked at the parchment and his eyes widened in shock. He swore loudly and stared at the parchment unbelieving.

_Potter_

_Black_

_Gryffindor_

_Hufflepuff_

_Ravenclaw_

_Slytherin_

_Emrys_

Harry could not believe his eyes. He was the heir of all the founders and besides he was the heir of Merlin himself. He could feel the world tilting. He kept for waiting for someone to shout "Fooled You."

"It is true Harry. We at Gringotts do not jest about such matters." said Ragnok.

"But how?" Harry asked wondering how everything that happened to him was always life-changing.

"The Potters are the direct descendants of Merlin himself. They married into various other lines as well. But due to various clan wars and battles against dark lords most of the families perished. Only the Potter family survived, barely, that too. Since all the founders married into the Potter line at one point or other, they are eligible for the inheritance as the oldest of the families. As for Slytherin when Voldemort's spirit left him 15 years ago, we at Gringotts considered him dead. His current form does not mean anything to us." said Ragnok.

Harry nodded numbly. "How do I claim the inheritances?" asked Harry.

"Just sign these documents with this blood quill. The contract is binding." said Ragnok.

Harry signed the documents. He winced as his signature was cut into his wrist. Once he finished signing all the documents seven rings appeared before him. Ragnok motioned him to wear them. Harry picked them up and slipped them on his right ring finger. The rings instantly merged to form a single ring.

Immediately Harry felt a rush of power within him as soon as the rings merged. He felt years of alien knowledge enter his mind. Things that he had never heard of became trivial to him. He could literally feel his core expanding. The power he felt was enormous. Nothing could have prepared for the onslaught of the senses. To the untrained eye, it would seem as if Harry was in pain and clenching his teeth. But when looked carefully one might notice the magic swirling around him. After what seemed an eternity the onslaught stopped. Harry sagged in his seat.

"What the hell was that?" asked Harry breathlessly.

Ragnok himself seemed mystified. "I do not know Harry. Maybe you could tell me?" he asked.

"I have the knowledge of Merlin. I know every instant of his life. I know it as if I lived his life. Bloody Hell! I even know about Merlin's mistresses.

"Blimey! Merlin definitely wasn't the pure wizard we were led to believe. Nor was Morgana the epitome of evil. In fact both of them had very similar ideals. Both believed in power. To them there was only magic. No Light and Dark magic. Just magic. I wonder how people twisted their legend to this extent."

"Ah! It is the wizard's inherent chauvinism. Perhaps that is how the story of Adam and Eve came to be too. You seem to be surprised Harry. Yes, I am well versed in Human Mythology. In fact I find it most fascinating."

Harry nodded thoughtfully thinking about the travesty of goblin history they were taught at school.

"I am in the difficult position of having to tell you something that you might not agree. But alas it has fallen on my shoulders." said Ragnok.

Harry blinked. "Please tell me. I assure you I will not over-react."

"Oh! I am sure you will not over-react. I am sure your reaction will be perfectly reasonable. But it is necessary, no vital, that you do this.

"Harry, You must travel back in time."

Harry blinked. Once. Twice."WHAT?"

"I repeat. Harry, You must travel back in time."

Harry's mind was a blank slate. Not only had he been thrust with the knowledge that he was the heir to the most powerful wizard in the world. Now he was being told point blank that he had to travel back in time. This just was too much to take. As he started to shout at Ragnok, he held out a hand to forestall anything he might have said.

"Please Harry, hear me out till the end and judge the situation for yourself." Harry stared at him for a long moment and nodded grudgingly.

"For generations we have held the knowledge that there would rise a savior among us who would help bring balance to the magical world. We have passed this knowledge through the generations so that one of us might execute the instructions. It has fallen to me now."

"And you believe I am the savior." asked Harry incredulously.

"Yes. There are several signs that point to that fact. They are signs that would be obvious only to a goblin. Rest assured, that I am extremely certain that these signs are true. I would not even consider telling you this."

"Another Prophecy!", Harry muttered disgusted.

"I see you do not believe me. It is really hard to believe, I know. But it is the truth."

"How do I know it is not a trap? I do not know of any ritual that can send me to the past. How do I know this is not a plan to hand me over to Voldemort." snarled Harry.

"Yes. I know why you would be reluctant to believe my words. If it makes you feel better here it goes

"I hereby swear on my magic that I do not intend to cause Harry Potter or any other magical being any harm due to my actions. Also I swear that I only hold the magical world's interests as foremost in my mind. So mote it be."

Harry could feel a cold gust pass him as the oath was swore. He was flabbergasted. No goblin had swore a magical oath to his knowledge before much less to a wizard. He shook his head unable to believe what was happening.

"Why me? I am not as pure as you might think. I can feel the darkness within me and I can feel it growing ever since I wore the rings."

"Purity has nothing to do with balance. In fact purity seeks to destroy the balance. What the world needs now is not a Light or Dark Lord. What we need is a Grey Lord. One who does not abide by the established rules of right and wrong. One who will reshape the fabric of magic itself. I believe it is you." said Ragnok passionately.

"You seem to be asking an awful lot from me. I came here to claim my inheritance and now you ask me to take on the burden of the magical world." said Harry angrily.

"I would not ask it of you if I thought anyone else could do it. I believe you are the only person who can do it." stated Ragnok.

"Also think about the situation here. You lost your entire family. Hundreds have perished. Dumbledore has been manipulating you. Do you honestly believe the world right now is worth living? You might make a difference in the past. You might prevent several deaths from occurring." He paused before dropping his wild-card, "You might have a chance to meet your parents."

Harry flinched and glared at Ragnok with hatred and anger. But a gleam of hope could be seen in his eyes.

"I know I am not being fair with you but I want you to realize the importance of this. As much as I hate to do it, I am not above using the most persuasive arguments for the purpose."

Harry glared at Ragnok as he thought over what he said. He knew that Ragnok was right. The situation was extremely messed up. And now that he knew Dumbledore could no longer be trusted he was not sure how much he could achieve alone. After Dumbledore was one of the most influential wizards. Going against him wouldn't be easy.

And indeed there was a chance, a slim chance at best that he could make a difference. Save a few. But the clincher for him was the chance that he might see his parents. Even though he couldn't them who he really was, at least he could have the comfort of being near them if not their friend. He mulled it over for a long time weighing the pros and cons. Ragnok waited patiently for Harry to think it over.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Harry sat back and looked at Ragnok. "I will do it." he said simply. Ragnok breathed a sigh of relief. "But,", he continued, "If you try to trick me in any way, you can rest assured that I will make your life a living hell. You will wish you had never met me." It was said in such a cold voice that Ragnok shivered for a moment and felt as if a cold hand had wrapped around his spine. And looking at Harry's blazing emerald orbs he knew that it was not a threat but a promise.

He nodded. "You will not have a need to do it. I can assure it."

Harry looked at him for a long moment and then asked, "When do I leave?"

"Now if you wish. I can arrange all your inheritances to be delivered to you in a trunk in another 10 minutes."

"Now! But I haven't told anyone ab...". He trailed off. What could he tell them? He could imagine how that conversation went. "Hey Guys! Sorry about this, but I have to make an urgent trip to the past. The goblins want me to restore the balance of the magical world. I ll meet you in my future.". He shook his head at his stupidity. It was better if he did this soon. That way no one could interrupt him.

He looked at Ragnok and nodded. Ragnok clapped his hands and called out "Griphook. Get me the contents of all these vaults and put them in an bottomless trunk and bring them here immediately."

Griphook nodded at Ragnok and took off. Ragnok turned to look at Harry and motioned him to follow him.

* * *

**Goblin Ritual Chamber**

**July 1**

He led him to a large chamber with some sort of ritual circle drawn in the center.

"This is the ancient goblin ritual circle that is needed to travel in time. By itself it is not capable of aiding time travel but when coupled with this it can". He showed Harry a brilliant white crystal. "It is the most precious treasure of goblins. It is called the Lapis. It will provide the necessary power for this ritual. But this can be used only once. After which it will lose its capability to power the ritual."

Harry looked at the stone and nodded. At Ragnok's direction he stepped inside the circle. Griphook ambled into the room levitating a trunk before him. He placed it inside the circle and walked away.

Ragnok looked at Harry and said, "I have set your destination to the Merlin manor itself. So you can get settled there and plan what to do. I guess that you will travel to sometime in the 70's but I do not know the exact time you will be traveling to. So any questions?"

"What about my inheritances. Will they be still valid in that time-frame?"

"I do not know fully about the working of time but since you have the rings with you you should be able to access the vaults and ancestral homes."

Harry nodded and motioned Ragnok to start the ritual. Ragnok placed the stone in the center of the circle and motioned Harry to stand near it. When Harry was in position, he pointed a gnarled finger at the crystal and started chanting something in Gobbledegook. The crystal started emitting light slowly

The light grew until it completely blinded Harry. Then a huge flash occurred and Harry and his trunk vanished completely.

Ragnok looked at the circle for a long moment and with a long sigh retrieved the Crystal.

"So it is time begin." A cloaked figure stepped out from the shadows.

"Yes. It is time." said Ragnok "But are you sure this was the right thing to do. We left him at sea without any knowledge. What if he creates a paradox?"

"He will not create a paradox." the cloaked figure stated with ironclad certainty.

"Yes. You would know better than anyone else I suppose." said Ragnok thoughtfully.

The man nodded in reply and said, "I have to say you are a master actor Ragnok. If I didn't know better I would be convinced that you were speaking the absolute truth. The Oath was a masterpiece. Told him what he wanted to hear but left out the important part. But then he was always naive."

"Why thank you. That is quite a compliment coming from someone like you." He bared his teeth in a ferocious smile.

The man chuckled and said, "Well, now that he's out of the way. Let us begin our work. We have been patient for too long."

"Yes. We shall begin." said Ragnok.

Both of them turned and walked back to their inner chambers to discuss their plans as Harry Potter, the boy who lived was rippling through the fabric of time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Disclaimer:**

All recognizable characters and situations in this story are the property of J. and various related publishers. The author does not claim to own any of these characters and is not associated with any of the franchisee owners. This story is meant purely for non-commercial recreational purpose and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 1, 1976**

Harry landed on his feet err... bottom disoriented and blinded. Traveling through the fabric of time can have that effect on one. He blinked a few times till the room came into focus. He staggered onto his feet and opened the trunk. He blinked at the sheer amount of gold and other articles inside the trunk. There were millions of galleons and several precious artifacts inside the trunk. But the most important items were the numerous books inside. He knew that Merlin's knowledge, though vast, was outdated and he needed to read a lot. After all he did not have Hermione to depend on in this time-line.

He felt pang thinking about his bushy haired friend. She among all his friends had remained the most loyal to him. Even Ron had turned his back on him over petty jealousy. But she had always supported him and stood by him through everything. He also thought about Hedwig, his first friend the only being that gave him the companionship he craved without asking for anything in return.

He shook his head to clear the thoughts and looked down at the trunk. His firebolt caught his eye. He gave a start and wondered how it had got there. He reckoned that the goblins had ways of retrieving it without anyone's knowledge. He would have to be careful with it. It would certainly draw attention to him. If he remembered right the nimbus company came to business around 1969.

He realized with a shock that he did not know what year it was. He drew his wand and cast _Tempus Revelio. _Words formed out of thin air and displayed "_July 1, 1976_". Harry quickly did the math and deduced that he had arrived in his parent's sixth year. He took a sharp intake of breath realizing that he was now the same age as his parents. He shook his head sadly at the irony.

He knew he needed a concrete plan before venturing outside. He also knew that he could not deposit such a huge amount of gold in Gringotts without rousing suspicion. So it would have to be housed in the manor itself. Then there was the matter of Hogwarts itself. Though he knew that he had to go to Hogwarts, he must do so with great caution. Dumbledore would be suspicious of a stranger and would run a background check on him. So he knew that he had to establish a firm alibi before even considering attending Hogwarts.

He decided to explore the manor before planning anything. The manor had three floors with several bedrooms. He moved his trunk to the master bedroom and found that he already had a complete wardrobe. He could find a training area and a potions lab in the basement.

But the most impressive if all was a huge library in the ground floor. It was nothing against the Hogwarts library of course, but it was impressive nonetheless. It had books on a range of subjects. Notably there was a huge section dedicated to mind arts. Harry knew that Merlin was unparalleled in the mind arts from his book. He was strong in pretty much every area but his knowledge of Occlumency, Legilimency and other mind arts were superior to anyone else.

He also gathered from his new found repository of knowledge, a forgotten art of mind control called Implimency. It was similar to the Imperius curse but more powerful in that it bound the victim's will to the caster. It created form of bond or enslavement but the victim still had control over actions but his or her priorities shift to favor the caster. What made it especially deadly was that it was permanent. But for the bond to become permanent required intercourse the caster having penetrative sex with the victim, be it male or female else it slowly wore off. Harry found that part disturbing. Not the female but the male. It required extraordinary mind control that was near impossible to achieve which might suggest as to why the art died. But Merlin was a master in Implimency. Now Harry possessed that knowledge. He reckoned it could be useful if used sparingly.

He also realized that his thought process was a lot faster now and he could assimilate information easily. He decided to take advantage of his new found ability to learn as much as he could before he ventured out. He set up an itinerary and started on it.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 14, 1976**

Harry spent two weeks learning as much as he could about various fields. He concentrated especially on the mind arts and healing. He reckoned that he must be strong in them to protect information from others and given the injuries he sustained normally healing would be very useful.

The manor being abandoned for centuries did not have any house elves but the manor looked very clean. He reckoned that the innate magic must preserve it. He also learned some household charms to cook food himself. He found cooking for himself was a lot more fun than cooking for the Dursleys.

Harry decided to head out and scout the situation outside before forming any plans. He did not know apparition yet but had learnt to make portkeys. He also removed the tracking charm that had been placed on his wand. Though he doubted his wand could be traced in this time-line, it never hurt to be sure. Harry decided that Diagon Alley would be a good starting place and made a portkey to take him there.

**Diagon Alley**

**July 14, 1976**

Harry landed in an abandoned alley near Flourish and Blotts. He was dressed in an inconspicuous robe so as to not draw attention to himself. He cast a modified glamour charm on himself to make himself appear older.

He strode down the alley noting that the alley was not as bustling as he remembered. There were quite a few shoppers but a lot fewer than what would be expected. He chalked it up to fear. He stopped by a stall and picked up the Daily Prophet.

Harry immediately noticed something strange. The first page article was about a new broom that had been released and a minor ministry official winning a lottery. There was nothing on Voldemort or the measures taken by the ministry. Harry thought over and realized that according to what Dumbledore and others had told him, Voldemort was at the peak of his power at this time. There were a lot of deaths occurring and the Ministry was scrambling to stop him. But nothing in the prophet indicated anything of that sort. Puzzled, he double checked the date and found that he had picked up the correct newspaper.

"Why isn't there anything on You-Know-Who?" asked Harry, taking care not to use Voldemort's name. The shopkeeper looked at him strangely and snarled, "You a half-blood?"

Harry was thrown by this question. But he curbed his anger and chose not to reveal himself at that moment. He replied, "No. I am a pureblood from Bulgaria." He reckoned that the reputation of Durmstrang would carry weight here.

The shopkeeper nodded as if that explained everything. He replied, "Why should they report about stuff that doesn't concern us? It's not as if he attacks us. Who cares if filthy mudbloods and half-bloods are killed?"

Harry was flabbergasted. He numbly paid for the paper and walked down the street. Harry reasoned that the prophet had to be as bigoted as it was in his time. Maybe that is why they failed to report it and that shopkeeper must a stuck up bigot. Harry convinced himself and walked down the alley.

But Harry found it strange that most people walked as if nothing was wrong in the world while a few kept looking over the shoulders. This contrasting behavior thoroughly confused Harry. He then decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron reckoning he might find more information there. On the way he noticed that Florean Fortescue's Parlor was missing. Instead there was a candy shop run by an ancient witch.

Harry stepped inside the Leaky Cauldron and approached the bartender. He noticed that Tom was yet to become the bartender. He ordered a glass of firewhiskey and took a seat in a corner. Years of trying to avoid his unwanted fame had trained to remain unobtrusive in a room. He tried to listen in on the conversations around him discretely only find most of them mundane.

Just then Harry noticed a familiar mop unruly black hair. His father was entering the Leaky Cauldron. Harry's heart beat faster as he noticed Sirius and Pettigrew enter along with him. He noticed that Remus was absent. He was torn between joy at seeing his father and godfather and the hatred he felt towards Pettigrew. He controlled himself as he saw them take the table across from him. Wanting to hear what they were speaking Harry discretely cast a eavesdropping charm over their tab

"Phew! It's nice to unwind a little. Now that the homework's out of the way we can have all the fun we want." said James.

"You completed everything already. I haven't even started yet." said Pettigrew.

"Wormtail, what have we told you? Get your work done and we can loaf around all we want. There are chicks that demand all our time. We can't pay attention to them if we have homework distracting us." said Sirius.

"Yeah. You are right. I will get everything done soon."

"Speaking of chicks how goes the front with Evans?" asked Sirius.

"That bitch still hates me. No matter what I do she ignores me unless it is to curse Me." snarled James.

"Hmm. Did you think about Dumbledore's offer?"

"Yes. I am thinking about taking it up. I thought I could do this on my own. But the bitch is too stubborn."

"Are you sure? Won't it reduce her to a slave? You need a capable wife to stand by you for your ambitions" asked Pettigrew.

"No. The potion is quite ingenious. It will convince her that she loves me. It won't do anything else. Also it is permanent unlike Amortentia. Dumbledore himself discovered it." replied James.

"I still don't understand why you are obsessed with her. Sure she's pretty but there are several purebloods that are equally beautiful."

"She has some sort of special quality that sets her apart. I can't put my finger on it. Even Dumbledore agrees with me. And she's a real fox. I can't wait to get her on bed. I will crush her arrogance once I claim her." said James arrogantly as he lounged back on the chair and winked at a blonde waitress. She glared at him and moved away. James let out a chuckle at her behavior.

"Be careful. Lupin might get suspicious. I don't think he suspects anything yet but he will certainly notice the potion with his werewolf senses." said Pettigrew.

"The half-blood won't notice it. Dumbledore made sure of it. Even if he does suspect anything it's not as if he can do anything. Who's going to believe a werewolf? And we could always arrange his death. No one would care." said James.

"Hmm. You are right. Alright, let's get back. We can come back and hunt chicks tomorrow." said Sirius as he stood. James and Pettigrew got up and followed him out of the bar.

Harry sat at his table shell-shocked at what he had heard. He felt as if he was living a nightmare. He could feel the bile rising in his throat as he ran over the conversation. He could not believe what he had just heard. Having heard for years that his father was an upstanding individual and a righteous man, Harry felt as if his entire life was a lie.

And Sirius. He had been just as bad. Twisted, both of them. Harry felt something tear within him. He felt a familiar emotion welling up within him. Pure loathing, what he had felt when chasing Bellatrix after she killed Sirius, stirred in him. Unadulterated hatred threatened to overwhelm him. He felt the need to destroy something.

Scared that he might accidentally destroy something, he quickly walked out of the pub and made a portkey to the manor. He disappeared as he felt a tug beneath his navel.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 14, 1976**

He appeared in the main hall. Feeling the need to destroy something he moved to the training room. Reductos and Bone breaking curses crashed against the training dummies. Instead of exploding the dummies disintegrated. His magic swirled around him in waves. Finally he ran out of power and let out an inhuman cry before collapsing due to exhaustion.

When Harry woke up, he realized it was dark outside. He ached from head to toe. He realized he was suffering from Magical exhaustion. He staggered into the potions lab and took a rejuvenating potion and drank it. Hacking and coughing at the vile taste he made his way to the kitchen and made himself a couple of sandwiches.

As he sat eating them, he thought over the situation. He could only come to once conclusion that he had to save his mother. He didn't give a damn about others. He was going to save her no matter the cost.

He strolled into the library and retrieved the book on rituals he had found a while earlier. He turned to a particular ritual that gave him a power boost. It didn't require a sacrifice of any sorts but it certainly had negative effects on a person's soul. He would become more attuned to the darker side of magic. Harry decided that he would perform the ritual. He needed several rare ingredients in order to prepare a potion to perform the ritual. He had most of the needed ingredients in his potions lab. But a key ingredient was missing, Basilisk Tears. It's not something one can get in a standard apothecary. He needed to venture into Knockturn Alley to get it. He made a portkey to Diagon Alley.

* * *

**Knockturn Alley, July 14, 1976.**

Harry slunk in the shadows as he calmly made his way through to an apothecary far back in the alley. He noticed a decrepit old building advertising itself as "_Imhotep's Innocuous Ingredients_". But the look of the shop signified anything but that. Trusting his instincts Harry entered the shop.

He watched from the shadows as a decrepit old man was wiping the counter. Deciding to make use of his mind arts, he used mild passive legilimency to find out his name.

"Mr. Williams" called out Harry as he stepped out from the shadows.

The shopkeeper was startled and started to reach for his wand. Then he took a long look at Harry and asked him, "Do I know you?"

"No. I am new in these parts. But my identity is immaterial to you. I come seeking certain rare ingredients to replenish my stash."

"I don't do business with strangers." said the old man.

"I assure you. You will be recompensed handsomely for it."

The old man stared at Harry for a long while before asking, "What do you need?"

"I need 2 pints of Basilisk tears."

"That doesn't come cheap. Basilisk Tears are not exactly easy to acquire."

"Money is irrelevant. I assure you I can more than afford it."

The old man nodded slowly and entered the backroom of the store. He returned shortly with a sealed jar and handed it over to Harry. "That will be 50 galleons."

Harry paid and left the shop. As he walked down the street he heard a familiar voice.

"Watch where you are going, old hag."

Harry froze on his tracks. It was Bellatrix Lestrange or Black. He was not sure. Instinctively he pulled himself into an alley. Then he cursed himself as he realized that she could not recognize him and he might have inadvertently drawn attention to himself.

Bellatrix was not one of the most feared witches and chief enforcer of Voldemort for nothing. She instantly noticed the movement. Sensing a danger she held her wand in front of her and stalked into the alley.

Harry knowing that he had to fight his way out as he did not have time to make a portkey threw a stunner at her. Bellatrix instantly dove out of the way. She retaliated with a Bone breaking curse. Harry raised a shield immediately. Though it stopped the curse the shield dissipated instantly. Bellatrix immediately followed with a Reducto. Though Harry dodged out of the way, a crate next him exploded spraying him with splinters.

Knowing he was outmatched he quickly thought of a way to get rid of her. He then noticed a Barrel tie up exactly above Bellatrix's head. Deciding to take a gamble, he cast a cutting curse and pretended to stagger at the end so that the curse sailed over her.

Bellatrix fortunately didn't move from her position and cast a Bone Breaking curse at Harry. Harry could feel his shoulder bones break as the curse hit min. But Bellatrix did not notice the barrel fall on her. It her directly on the head. She collapsed with a cry of pain.

Harry gingerly used his undamaged hand and made a portkey. He then grabbed Bellatrix and touched the portkey. Since such fights were all too common in Knockturn Alley no one paid special attention to it.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 15, 1976**

Harry and Bellatrix arrived in the main hall. He could feel the disorientation from the portkey travel, his injury and the magical exhaustion from earlier combined threatening to overwhelm him. He immediately incarcerated Bellatrix and levitated her to the training room. He was panting with pain and exhaustion by the time he arrived in the room. He moved her to the chains in the wall and shackled her.

He went to the potions lab and took a flask of Skele-Heal. He felt like someone had poured acid into his veins. He knew he had to rest in order to recover completely. He took a vial of Dreamless Sleep potion and poured in down her throat.

Assured that it would keep her unconscious for at least 12 hours, he staggered into his room and fell down on the bed. He was asleep almost instantly.

When he woke up, he noticed it was well past dawn. He flexed his shoulders and found it healed completely. Then he remembered that he had brought Bellatrix with him last night. He knew he had to do something soon lest she becomes a problem. He walked down to the training room and found her still knocked out.

Looking at her, he slowly re-assessed his opinion of Bellatrix. He did not know what possessed him to bring her here. Maybe it was the delirium induced by pain he did not know. But he could not let her go now.

Now that he thought it he was not sure he felt the same level of hatred towards her that he had felt a few weeks back. Sirius' true character having come to light, he could not help but feel nothing but a frisson of pleasure at his death. He was still wary of her and had no doubt she would gut him given the chance, but no, he did not loath her.

He knew that she was a very powerful witch and could be a useful ally to him. But he also knew that he could never convince her to join him. If she was half as fanatic as she was in his time, she would never consent to join him. And he really wanted to avoid killing her. She could hold very useful information.

That left the option of Implimency. Loathe as he might to use it, he knew he had very few options to be convinced of her loyalty and nothing else was as foolproof as this. He took a good look at her. When he met her last time, she was haggard and half insane. Azkaban tended to do that to people. But he could see that she was a very attractive woman. Her jet black hair framed a pretty round face. Her sanguine lips were parted slightly. He could imagine them pouting and felt his loins stirring. Her robe had fallen apart to reveal a tight leather jacket covering her body. He could tell that she worked out a lot and had the muscles to prove it.

Deciding to go ahead with the bonding, he poured an enervate potion into her throat and made her swallow it. She gagged and coughed as she felt the vile liquid run down her throat. She slowly opened her eyes and let the world come into focus. Upon noticing him standing before him tried to rise only to find her tied down.

She growled and pulled at the chains. "Who are you?" she growled.

"I don't think you need to know that yet. You hit your head pretty hard last night. You might have a concussion. Drink this potion."

"What makes you think I will drink anything you offer?" she snarled at him.

"Suit Yourself." said Harry and caught her chin and poured the potion in mouth forcibly. She thrashed and tried to break free but his grip was too hard. He held her jaws until she was forced to swallow. Her eyes cleared slowly and she could feel the concussion recede, not that she would admit it to him.

"You, Bastard! Let me go this instant." snarled Bellatrix.

"So that you can run and tell Voldemort and he comes hunting me. Not a chance."

Bellatrix saw red. "How dare you utter the Dark Lord's name you foul wretch. I will tear you apart." She snarled and pulled against the chains trying to reach him.

"Has your concussion cleared?" asked Harry as if nothing was out of the ordinary. Bellatrix ignored his question and struggled against the chains calling him foul names.

"Has your concussion cleared?" This time the question was rendered in an ominous voice and Harry's eyes glittered with power. Bellatrix noting the inflection in his voice stopped struggling and growled out "Yes."

"Good." replied Harry as he drew his wand. He took hold of her chin and muttered "_Implimens". _Unlike Legilimency, Implimency did not require eye contact but rather skin contact. He could feel himself entering her mind as he bypassed her Occlumency shields. Occlumency shields cannot protect one against Implimency so Harry bypassed them easily and started to link their minds.

Bellatrix feeling a foreign presence inside her mind struggled to throw it out. But having never heard of this forgotten art, she could do naught but struggle in vain. Harry slowly established control over her mind and he could feel her struggle waning. She slowly stopped and waited passively for him to leave his mind.

Harry drew back and looked at Bellatrix. Her eyes still held that spark of arrogance and power. But the hostility was gone. He was sure that the bonding had worked. But he could not take a risk. So he retrieved a vial of Veritaserum from his potions stock and told her to drink it.

"You don't trust me." she said. It wasn't a question just a curious observation.

"I will." said Harry and fed her a few drops of it. Her eyes glazed over slowly.

"What is your name?"

"Bellatrix Druella Black."

"She's not yet married then." thought Harry. He asked out loud "Who are your siblings?"

"Narcissa and Andromeda Black."

Satisfied that the veritaserum was working he moved on the main question. "Whom does your loyalties lie with?"

"You. My loyalty lies only with you. My old master means nothing to me now."

"Would you do anything for me?"

"Yes. I will."

Satisfied, Harry released her.

"I know about you. But you do not know me. Let me introduce myself. My name is Harry Potter." She nodded. "I will tell you in detail about myself later but right now there is something that I want."

Bellatrix looked at him curiously.

"Are you a virgin, Bella?" He paused for a moment and asked "May I call you Bella?"

"Yes you may. I rather like it." said Bella with a smile. She looked extremely beautiful when she smiled. "And no I am not a virgin."

Harry was not really concerned about her virginity. He just asked her out of curiosity. His eyes sparkled as he looked at her. Bella deciphering what his look meant nodded with a smile

Knowing that he needed to complete the bond immediately, he led her to his bedroom. Harry had achieved a growth spurt at the end of his fifth year and stood at 5 foot 11 inches but Bellatrix was just less than an inch shorter than him. He stalked towards and pulled her against him kissing her. Her hands fisted in his shirt in an effort to bring him closer. She opened her mouth allowing his tongue to duel with hers. He moved his lips kissing her along the jaw, moving to her neck. She craned her head allowing him better access.

Both of them needing more skin contact discarded their robes and Bellatrix unbuttoned his shirt as Harry reached for her zipper. He slid the jacket off her revealing a lacy white bra. He unbuckled his pants and stepped out of them standing only in his boxers. She had shed her skirt by then standing in her lacy white lingerie.

She had a glorious body with long and supple legs. She had a slender frame with a flat tummy. Her breasts had to be a C-cup at least. They were firm and jiggled as she panted with desire. He pulled against him kissed her passionately making her moan in his mouth. His deftly undid the clasp of her bra with one hand and removed the barrier. Years spent as Seamus and Dean's roommate and reading the Playwizard issues finally came in handy.

His hands traveled lower and into her panties. He touched her pussy and found it wet and soaking. Bella trembled in pleasure and held him harder. He pushed one finger into her and started pushing it in and out of her. Feeling her stretch he slowly added another finger to it. Bella trembled and moaned "Harry, please..."

Hearing her moan pushed Harry over the edge. He tore her panties and stepped out of his boxer. He pushed her on the bed and climbed on top of her. He kissed her ferociously while kneading her breasts and pinching her nipples. She gasped at the sensations that assaulted her.

"Harry! I want you Harry. Fuck me. Make me yours." growled Bellatrix looking at him with half-lidded eyes. Harry let out a low growl and positioned himself over her entrance. He entered her in one full stroke. He could tell she was experienced by the way she stretched to accommodate him. He gasped at the new sensation. She enveloped him completely. The warmth as her vagina throbbed around his cock combined with the erotic scene of her moaning in pleasure while biting her lip nearly sent him over the edge.

With a bestial growl he started pumping in and out of her. He gradually picked up a rhythm hit her. The room was filled with his grunts and her moans of pleasure as flesh struck against flesh. Sensing that he was nearing the end he pulled out of her. He turned her over and onto her knees while she moaned at the loss. He entered her from behind and starting pumping into her.

Feeling his thighs slap against her ass she growled, "Fuck me Harry. Pound me harder. Harder."

Hearing her Harry picked up his pace. She gasped and moaned at the sensations assaulting her. Harry knew he was nearing the end and started pumping faster. Bellatrix gyrated her hips trying to add to the pleasure. This sent Harry over the edge and he came growling out her name. Bellatrix orgasmed almost immediately crying "HARRY!"

Harry collapsed on the bed and lay panting. He could feel an indistinct presence in his mind but it was not hostile. Harry knew that it was his connection with Bellatrix. He turned and looked at her. She reached up and kissed him softly and said, "I am yours Master. Now and forever."

Knowing that she was telling the truth, Harry gathered her against him. Bellatrix spooned against him and both of them dozed off with Harry still inside her.

Harry woke up to the unfamiliar sensation of a body lying above him. He blinked to clear his eyes and found Bellatrix sprawled over him. They were still connected to the hilt. He recalled what had happened last night. He had anticipated having sex with her but not the extent of pleasure he felt nor the sensations he induced in her. He wondered if it was a pleasant side-effect of the bond.

He shook Bella awake. She mumbled in protest and burrowed into his chest. He shook her again and said "I would like to spend the day in bed but we need to be talk."

Bella mumbled something about it being too early but got up and went to the cabinet. Harry was surprised to find several clothes exactly matching her size. Harry vowed to look more into the workings of the manor. Bella chose to wear a low halter neck top that showed a generous amount of cleavage and a black miniskirt. Harry groaned at her dress only to get a sultry look in return.

Harry felt his loins stirring again. Harry wondered if the bond was causing this or the fact that he had been the only virgin among the fifth year boys. Well, apart from Neville that was. Molly didn't know about Ron's escapade to a brothel in Knockturn alley. She would have killed him. It's a wonder she didn't find out anyway given that the prat was boasting about it at every opportunity.

He dressed and motioned her to follow him to the Dining Hall. Upon learning that she couldn't cook, he started making breakfast for both of them. Bella motioned him to stop and called out "Frisky!"

A house elf popped in front of them. Harry started. He knew that the manor was hidden. So for a house elf to locate it was disturbing. Bella noticed his look and said, "Don't worry. Frisky is my personal elf. She was able to come here only because of our bond. No elf can break wards without the owner's permission." Harry nodded, reassured.

Bella ordered Frisky to make breakfast for them. Then she looked at Harry and asked, "Tell me about yourself master."

Harry shook his head. "Call me Harry."

Bella hesitated for a moment and then said, "I will."

Harry knew he could trust her fully. But he also knew that she was constantly exposed to Voldemort. So he might manage to get the information from her. "Can Voldemort bypass your shields?" asked Harry. Bellatrix shook her head and said, "No. My shields are some of the strongest. The only one to bypass them was you."

Harry still had reservations but she was his only ally and he couldn't trust anyone else so he decided to tell her the entire truth. So he told her his entire life. Right from his time with the Dursleys to his school years and the trip to the goblins. He expected to feel some grief over what he had lost but realized that he didn't care. He only wanted one thing right now. That was to save his mother. He couldn't care less about what happened to others. Bellatrix listened to him patiently without interrupting him.

When he finished, she asked him, "What do you plan to do?"

Harry thought for a second and said, "I don't have a concrete plan yet. All I know is that I have to go to Hogwarts but I need a way establishing a firm alibi. Dumbledore would get very suspicious of me."

"You could pretend to be a foreigner. Then you can attend Hogwarts a transfer student."

"But that would mean me having to prove that I had attended another school for five years which would be pretty hard." said Harry.

"You could state that you had private tutors." replied Bella.

"Who would vouch for me?"

"We need to think on that. It will have to be someone that Dumbledore doesn't have much contact with. Also we will have to come up with good reason as to why you didn't attend regular school."

"Yes. Let's sleep on that. Another issue is that I need more spies into Voldemort's camp. I know him well enough to be sure that he wouldn't entrust a single person with all plans. He's not exactly the trusting sort."

"Hmm. You are right. I might suggest my sister. Even though she is relatively new to the ranks her engagement to Lucius makes her privy to a lot of information. Another person would be Alexis Rookwood. She is married to Augustus and is high up in the ranks so she will have access to a lot of information. But you will have to bond both of them. They would not join you willingly." said Bellatrix.

Harry nodded and asked, "How long until someone notice you missing?"

Bellatrix shrugged. "It is not uncommon for me to disappear at odd times. No will notice me missing for a while."

"Set up a meeting with them. I hope the both of us together can subdue them. But let us not take any chances. I was thinking of performing a power enhancement ritual but now both of us shall perform it. How good are you at potions?"

"I was one of the best. If I hadn't joined the Dark Lord I would have pursued a mastery in potions."

Harry was pleased. "That makes things easier. I was going to brew it myself. But I was never that good at potions. Years of tutelage under Snape can do that to a person." said Harry with a smile.

"One more thing. Do you trust me? Having had such an intense hatred towards me in the previous lifetime, how can you be so calm in my presence?"

"It no longer matters. You are not the same Bellatrix. If I had my way you wouldn't become that person anymore. Also with the bond I am sure I can trust you. Also much of my hatred towards you was due to the death of Sirius but now that I know his true character, I hate him more for lying to me all these years."

Bella nodded in understanding. "Then let's get started." Bella rose and followed Harry to the potions lab. Harry handed her the instructions regarding the ritual.

Bella looked over it and asked "The ritual's awfully dull. Can't you find some other ritual that involves us having wild and passionate sex?"

Harry blushed beet red and replied "Maybe I'll look into it." Bella let out a throaty laugh at his reply.

Bella started making the potion while Harry started to draw the ritual circle on the floor. Soon after Bella completed the potion both of them took a vial and sat inside the circle. The ritual had certain limitations in that a person could perform this ritual only once and the power boost depended upon the individual's existing power. But fortunately it would not interfere with any future rituals.

They both downed the potion and took their wands. They waved them in a circular motion and chanted _Vis Vires Amplificio. _They could feel a strength welling within them. Magic swirled around them in waves. Finally after what seemed like an eternity, they calmed down.

"Wow! I can feel the magic roiling within Me." said Harry.

"Yes. That was a very effective ritual. I wonder how the dark lord never found about it."

"The book's only copy can be found only in this library. Merlin guarded his secrets very closely. Also don't call him the Dark Lord in my presence. Call him Voldemort."

"Yes, I shall do so. Well now that's settled, we will look more into what sort of rituals we can perform. We cannot afford to build a strong organization like Voldemort or Dumbledore. We have to operate in secret to accomplish what we want. So we need our members to be as strong as possible."

Harry nodded. "Yes. I was thinking of the same thing. I will look into the rituals. I am very proficient in the mind arts now. I want you to get as strong as possible in Occlumency before you enter Voldemort's presence. Also think of a way to establish my alibi." Bella nodded in agreement.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 18, 1976.**

Bellatrix spent 2 days trying to strengthen her shields. With Harry's help her shields became almost impregnable. Harry looked for several rituals and found a few that could be very useful. One helped the user to improve his learning speed. Another ritual helped in speeding up the animagus transformation. It did not help if the person didn't have the animal within him though.

Though the ritual, that Harry wanted to perform as soon as possible was one that revealed a person's innate talents. Even the talents that hadn't manifested yet would be revealed. Harry wanted to perform that ritual first. But it required several rare ingredients that were not in his lab. So he decided to go to Knockturn alley to buy them.

"I am going to Knockturn Alley to pick up some rare ingredients. You too report to Voldemort so that he doesn't start searching for you. Also set up a meeting for tomorrow with Narcissa and Alexis. I think the shrieking shack would be a suitable place. Since it's vacation time, there won't be anyone there." Harry said to Bellatrix.

Bellatrix nodded and said, "I'll get it done."

Harry made a portkey to Diagon Alley thinking he needed to learn apparition.

* * *

**Diagon Alley, July 18, 1976.**

Harry landed in an alley close to Flourish and Blotts. He walked down the alley towards Knockturn Alley. He had learned a spell to make him inconspicuous to those around him. It really helped him a lot. He wished he had learned this spell earlier. As he walked he heard a familiar voice.

"Hi there Lily Flower."

"Potter" replied a voice dripping with disdain.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer:**

All recognizable characters and situations in this story are the property of J. and various related publishers. The author does not claim to own any of these characters and is not associated with any of the franchisee owners. This story is meant purely for non-commercial recreational purpose and no copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

**Diagon Alley, July 18, 1976.**

Harry started and turned in shock. Sure enough, it was his mother. And there was James (he refused to call him father) accosting her. Lupin was absent again but Sirius and Peter were flanking him. Harry smirked imagining what would happen if he knew that his son was standing a few feet from him.

Harry then turned to his mother to study her. Maybe he was biased but she was perfect. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her lustrous red hair fell in waves past her shoulder. She had a sharp and slightly aristocratic nose. Her lips had curved in annoyance but somehow even that made her look cute. She had a willowy, hourglass figure with slender legs that most girls would kill for.

But the feature that immediately caught his eye was her facsimile, his own emerald eyes. They shone with fervor and, Harry realized with a start, hatred as she looked at James. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked at him. It was clear that given the choice she would be anywhere but near him.

"What do you want?" Lily asked in annoyance.

"Lily Flower! Why do you always try to avoid me? Come on give me a chance. I will prove to you I am not as bad as you think."

"You are an arrogant toerag and stuck up pureblood. Others might be fooled by your demeanor but I won't be. And don't even think of asking me out on a date. I would rather go out with the giant squid."

"I know you are still upset over the incident during the OWLs but that was just an isolated incident. Seriously he deserved it." James said earnestly.

"No one deserves that shit, Potter. You just proved what I said. You don't care about others feelings. You only care about your own selfish desires. According to you other people exist just to amuse you. I am fed up with you. If you don't stop bothering me, I'll take it to the authorities. You won't like it. I mean it."

"Lily, I think you are acting irrationally. James honestly likes you a lot. Why don't you believe him?" said Sirius.

"Well, I don't. Haven't I made myself clear enough to you fools? What will it take for you to stop bothering me?"

"A Date." James suggested.

"Argh." Lily cried out in frustration.

Harry checked if his glamour was in place and moved towards them.

"Excuse me. But are these guys bothering you?"

Four heads swiveled towards him in surprise. James' eyes tightened perceptibly as he looked at Harry. "What's it to you. We are her classmates. And you mind your own business."

"Oh! I didn't know you were her friends. I was under the impression that you were accosting her." Harry said with a straight face. Sirius' hand twitched towards his pocket while James' face hardened. "What a bunch of pricks." Harry thought.

"They are indeed accosting me and they are most certainly not my friends." Lily said glaring at them.

"Please. It is rude to act in such a manner. It is unfitting for wizards of your standard." Said Harry calmly, trying to adopt Dumbledore's grandfatherly voice.

"You mind your business and get lost if you don't want to get cursed." Sirius snarled. He was always hotheaded.

"I really can't walk away abandoning the fair maiden. Can I?" Lily blushed at his comment. He ignored them and turned to Lily. "Do you wish for me to escort you, milady" Harry said with an exaggerated flourish.

Lily giggled at his antics. "Really, it's not a problem. I can take care of myself."

"I am sure you can take care of yourself." Harry said, switching to normal speech. "I came to the alley alone and would like some company, unless you are uncertain about me."

Lily thought for a second and said, "Yes, sir Honorable Knight, I would be delighted to be escorted by you. By the way, my name is Lily Evans." She offered her hand to shake.

"Pleased to meet you. I am William Blake." Harry said the first name that came to his mind. He cursed himself for not thinking of a name before. As he raised his hand, he sensed a movement behind him. With incredible agility, he pulled his wand from his robe pocket and shouted _Protego. _A curse hit his shield with a gong and was reflected back. By now Lily had her wand aimed at the marauders too. The curse missed Sirius, who most likely cast the curse, by mere inches.

"It's cowardly to attack a man's back. You guys are worse than I thought. Cowards!" Harry said furiously.

James bristled at his words and raised his wand. "That one was a freebie. The next time, I will start cursing back. You won't like it." Harry said in an ominous tone.

"And don't forget me. I know more curses than either of you. Think before you do anything." Lily said equally furious.

The groups glared at each other for a while before the marauders turned and left but not without scorching glares that promised retaliation. Harry hoped they would act soon, so he could teach them a lesson in humility.

"Argh! I can't believe them. Just when I think they can't get any worse they just prove me wrong. Arrogant bastards!" Lily exclaimed before looking shocked at her own language.

Harry chuckled and asked "Just who are they?"

"The arrogant prat who cursed you was Sirius Black. The sniveling rat-like fool was Peter Pettigrew. The other guy who was too full of himself was James Potter. They call themselves the marauders. They have another friend called Remus Lupin, though he's a much nicer guy that these idiots."

"You seem to know quite a bit about them." Harry pointed out knowing that he was lying through his teeth.

"All of us are sixth years at Hogwarts. They are Gryffindors and I am a Ravenclaw." Lily said.

Harry nodded in reply. "By the way, where do you go to school? I have never seen you at Hogwarts." Lily asked.

"I never went to any school. I was taught by private tutors. If I went to school I suppose I would be in my sixth year at Hogwarts." Harry delivered a perfectly fabricated lie.

Lily nodded at him and asked him, "I have never heard of any Blake family before. Are you muggle-born perchance?"

"I am a half-blood. My mother was a muggle-born just like you."

"How did you know I was a muggle-born? I never said anything about it." Lily said sharply suddenly on guard.

Harry cursed himself for his slip. He tried to think of an excuse but couldn't come up with anything. So he decided to go with the partial truth.

"Well, actually this is not the first time I have met them. A few days back I was sitting in the leaky cauldron when they were talking about a mudblood named Lily." Harry raised his hands defensively as he saw she was about to give a sharp retort. "Their choice of words, not mine."

Lily growled in anger but still looked at him in suspicion.

Harry knowing she needed more to trust him decided to tell her the entire conversation. After all she had to know it to protect herself. "Actually I had an ulterior motive to approach you. I thought you might be the girl they were talking about. I wanted to warn you about the conversation I overheard."

Lily looked at him with a calculating expression and nodded at him to continue.

"They were discussing about a love potion that James wanted to give to you." Lily drew a sharp breath. "Apparently Dumbledore made it. It would make you completely devoted to James. Though I gathered it won't affect your senses as he needed a trophy wife to stand by him."

Lily gritted her teeth and ground out "Dumbledore! Why would he want to help the prat?"

"Maybe because he belongs to a powerful pureblood family. Or maybe because they are related. Who knows?"

"Why should I believe you? For all I know you could be a deatheater in disguise."

"I have no reason to lie to you. I just wanted to help you. I could never turn my back and ignore anyone in your situation."

"Well, forgive me if I don't believe you."

Harry nodded understanding her predicament. "I hereby swear on my magic everything I said to Lily Evans about the conversation is true." He intoned. "There do you believe me now?"

Lily nodded with wide eyes then her face softened. "You didn't have to do that. A pensieve memory would have sufficed."

"Well, I don't have a pensieve at hand and I wanted you to trust me. That was the quickest way I could think of."

Lily tilted her head to one side and asked "Why is my trust so important to you?"

"I don't know. I just felt this inexplicable connection to you. I just wanted you to trust me."

Lily curved her lips in an angelic smile and asked, "Is that your best pickup line?"

Harry blushed at her words. Lily let out a throaty laugh at his response. "Thanks a lot for mentioning it to me. I will be on the lookout from now on. Also it looks like my opinion of Dumbledore was correct. I always felt he hid his true self behind the kindly grandfather image he portrays."

"Power corrupts." Harry said with a shrug.

Lily nodded at that. "Now enough morbid talk. You said you were going to escort me. So shall we, my Knight in shining armor?"

"Definitely, milady." Harry said as he held out his hand to her.

As they walked, arm in arm, down the alley, Lily pulled him towards an ice-cream parlor. "Have you ever tasted the Banana Fudge here? It's heavenly."

Harry took her advice and ordered the same. Lily was right. It was heavenly. The ice-cream melted in his mouth. He took a careful look at lily as she ate. She looked so carefree and full of life. It felt great to finally see his mom. But it bothered him that what he felt for her wasn't like how a son would. He felt attracted to Lily in more of a romantic way. He would need to be careful of that.

Lily saw him looking at her and arched an elegant eyebrow. "Are you checking me out Mr. Blake?"

Harry flushed and stuttered in response. Lily let out a chuckle and said "William, you are too easy to tease."

"Well, blame my upbringing for that. I never had a lot of exposure to the opposite sex. In fact this is my second date. My first one was an absolute disaster."

"Oooh! Is this is a date, William? I don't recall you asking me out." Lily said teasingly.

Harry blushed and stuttered, "I… I meant… Oh! Crap. Shoot me and put me out of this misery."

Lily couldn't control her chuckles. Finally controlling her chuckles she smiled at him. She laid her hand on his and said "Relax William. If you want to make this a date, I am all for it."

Harry smiled and said, "I would like that." Lily beamed at him in response.

"What the fuck am I thinking? This is my mother. I can't go out on a date with her. This is wrong on so many levels." A voice shouted in his head. "No. She is not your mother. Your mother died fifteen years ago. This is just a beautiful girl you are attracted to. Give it a try." Another voice said. Both voices started arguing inside his head. Harry took calming breaths and concentrated to banish the voices.

"By the way call me Harry. That's what my friends call me. Besides William seems a mouthful. It's William Harry Blake." Harry explained at her questioning look.

"So, what do you learn from your private tutors." Lily asked.

"They cover a variety of subjects from Charms to mind arts. But I seem to have a penchant towards Defense and Mind arts. What about you? Which is your favorite subject?"

"I am really good at potions though my favorite is Charms. I plan to become a charms researcher for the ministry. So what are your plans?"

"I was thinking of an auror. Also my tutors think it would be better for me to attend school for the next two years."

"Oh! That would be great. I hope if you come to Hogwarts, you will be in Ravenclaw."

"As long as I am not in Gryffindor." Harry said.

Lily chuckled at that and said, "I can't wait to introduce you to my friend Marlene. She will whip you into shape and bring you out of your shell. She can be such a tease." Lily said with a giggle.

Harry flushed and asked her, "Did you come to get your school supplies?"

Lily shook her head. "I haven't got my OWL scores yet. So I don't know what books to get. I came to pick up some books at Flourish and Blotts. What about you?"

Reckoning he had lied too much already, Harry decided to tell the truth. "I came up against a ritual that revealed a person's innate abilities. I needed some ingredients to make a potion for it."

Lily's eyes widened at that. "That sounds mighty useful. Can I perform the ritual too?"

Harry thought for a second. "I think so. The ingredients are pretty rare to get. In fact some of them can be bought only in Knockturn alley. I came here to buy them. But there are no negative side-effects according to the book."

Lily nodded at him and said, "When can we perform the ritual?"

Harry shrugged and said, "Anytime we want. It's not a big deal. It doesn't require any ritual circles nor does it produce any flashy effects. It just involves us drinking the potion and dropping a few drops of blood on a parchment. It's basic as far as rituals go."

Lily nodded and asked, "So now you are headed to Knockturn alley." Harry nodded. "It's pretty late. I think I'll leave home. I will floo from the Leaky Cauldron."

Harry stood up as Lily rose. "We will do the ritual day-after tomorrow if you want. I am sure we can get a room in Leaky cauldron to perform the ritual."

Lily's eyebrows rose. "Don't you think we are moving too fast?"

Harry sputtered in response. Lily laughed at him and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. "See you on Tuesday." She called out and left waving him.

Harry for his part could only wave back at her numbly. He couldn't believe he had kissed his mother. Well, she had kissed him but that didn't change the fact. She is not my mother, he argued with himself. He shook his head and walked to wards Knockturn alley.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 18, 1976.**

Harry arrived in the entrance hall. He took the ingredients and left them in the potions lab. He found Bella in the sitting room. She was lounged on the sofa reading the prophet. He scowled at the hated newspaper.

He had found about the state of the war from Bella. Voldemort was currently targeting the muggle-borns and some selected half-bloods. The ministry which was filled bigoted purebloods refused to waste resources on an apparently minor threat. Harry's blood boiled at the blatant bigotry. He would show them.

Bella upon noticing him scooted over to make room for him. She kissed him on the lips fully before snuggling into his side. Harry thought he enjoyed the physical affection part very much. He was new to this but reckoned he could get used to this.

"Did you get all the ingredients?"

Harry nodded and told her about meeting Lily in the alley. Bellatrix said "Harry, you need to stop worrying about how you feel about Lily. Remember, this is not your timeline. She is not your mother. She is just a girl your age."

Harry looked at her in surprise. "You wondering how I knew about that?" Bella asked. Harry nodded. "Harry, we are bonded remember? I would be sorely disappointed if you forget about it considering the process involved. For my part, the sex was bloody brilliant." Bella said as she licked her lips seductively.

Harry blushed and asked, "Why do all the women keep teasing me?" Bella let out a laugh in response.

Then she turned serious. 'I set up a meeting with Cissy and Alex. I asked them to come to the shrieking shack tomorrow morning. I told them that I had instructions to deliver from the dark… sorry, Voldemort."

Harry nodded at that and said, "Prepare the potions for the rituals. You will perform the ritual along with the new recruits once we bond them. I promised to perform the ritual with Lily."

Bella nodded in response. "All right, I will do so." Harry stood up. "I am bit tired. I will turn in. See you in the morning." Harry bid Bella good night.

"Damn it. I was looking for some nice shagging tonight." Bella said softly but not soft enough that Harry couldn't hear. Harry chuckled and said "Later Bella, later." and went upstairs.

* * *

**Shrieking Shack, July 19, 1976**

Harry and Bella were waiting for the two female deatheaters to show up. Harry asked Bella "What do you know about these two?"

"Well, I was closer to Cissy than Andy when I was young, well as close as we can be as a Black I guess. Cissy was always the brilliant one of the three of us. Of course, as Blacks we were expected to be the top of the class. Cissy is also an expert in politics. She knows how to outmaneuver even the most manipulative of people. That is why I think she will be an excellent asset for us. But in spite of her brilliance, she always needs someone to look up to. She can never be independent on her own.

"As for Alex, I have known her since childhood. She's a year younger than me. Well, she can be a handful at times. She's perhaps the most powerful witch on the dark side. She is not as brilliant as the black sisters but her knowledge of the dark arts is unparalleled by anyone but Voldemort himself."

Harry nodded thoughtfully. "Yes. I can see how useful they would be to our cause."

Just then, they heard a two popping sounds a little away from them. Bellatrix silently made her way to the opposite side of the woods and then made her presence known to them. Alex noticed Bella and started walking towards her as Cissy followed her.

"Bella, I haven't seen you in a while. You had another of your escapades, didn't you?" asked Narcissa in a slightly disapproving tone.

Bella shrugged and said, "Well, we all have our failings. Mine is that I can't sit still for a long time. I am trying to learn patience."

"Well, I hope the dark lord doesn't mind your escapades." Alexis said.

"If he did he would have made me realize it quite painfully"

As the women were talking, Harry slunk behind them silently and aimed his wand at Alexis and cried _Stupefy. _The women turned quickly in his direction. But caught by surprise, Alexis was hit directly by the stunner. Narcissa raised her wand to curse Harry. But she fell to a stunner from Bella. Harry incarcerated both of them as Bella made portkey to the manner. Both of them grabbed the unconscious deatheaters and portkeyed to the manor.

* * *

**Merlin Manor, July 19, 1976.**

Harry levitated the two women to his bedroom and laid them on the floor. He nodded to Bellatrix and asked her to take care of Alexis while he enervated Narcissa. Narcissa woke up slowly and looked about wildly. Then she noticed the two standing before her.

"What are playing at, Bella?" she snarled viciously.

"All will be revealed shortly." Bella said calmly and motioned to Harry. Narcissa guessing, partially, what would happen to her began to struggle. Harry grabbed her chin and forced her to look at his eyes and cast _Implimens_. He could feel the familiar link forming. Soon he pulled out of her mind to find that she had stopped struggling. Warning Bellatrix to be on guard, he removed her bindings and held out his hand. As she took it, he guided her towards his king sized bed.

While Bella was an attractive woman, her muscles were hard and it was obvious that she was athletic. But Narcissa was a beauty in the classical sense. Her blond hair fell down to her shoulders and framed a very attractive face. Her lips were parted slightly as she looked at him with desire having guessed what he wanted.

Harry had discovered earlier that he could feel what his partner wanted from him while making love due to the bond. As tenuous as the link was, he could feel her desire. He pulled her to him and kissed her passionately. His lips moved and slowly traced her jaw line. Feeling particularly impatient, he banished her clothes. She gasped at the sudden feel of cold air on her body. He made her lie down on the bed and tied her wrists to the bedpost. He then summoned a quill from his desk.

He banished his clothes and started running the feather lightly, down her body. He slowly slid the feather down her neck and towards her cleavage. She shivered at the sensations she was feeling. He slid the feather in circles around her breast, gradually reducing the circle until he was circling her nipple. All the while he played with her other nipple pinching and twisting it. She gasped at the sensations and writhed in sweet agony.

He slowly slid the feather down her tummy and circled her belly button. She started to breath raggedly. He spread her legs slowly and ran the feather along her inner thighs. She started to moan uncontrollably. Then he ran the feather along her slit and started to circle her clit. She was writhing under his ministrations. "Please" she begged.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Harry calmly wanting to see the normally unflappable Narcissa lose control completely.

"I want you to fuck me. I want your seed in me. Please." Narcissa begged. Harry smiled at her words and felt her slit with his fingers. He saw that she was sopping wet with his ministrations. He moved to claim her lips in a scorching kiss as he positioned his arousal against her slit. He slowly slid into her marveling at the heat and pressure he felt as her wetness enveloped him. She gasped at the sensation as she wrapped her legs around his waist trying to bring him closer. Harry started pumping slowly and all the while pinching and playing with her nipples.

Though she stretched to accommodate him, she was incredibly tight and he could feel himself losing control. He gritted his teeth and started pumping into her faster and faster. He angled himself and gyrated his hips trying to increase the pleasure. She gasped and writhed about indicating that she was close. He released a nipple and started to finger her clitoris. Finally, as he gave a particularly painful tug to it, she came as a scream was ripped from her throat. Her walls clenched tightly around him and he climaxed, shooting streams of semen into her.

He lay for a minute and trying to catch his breath. He then slowly raised his head and looked at his audience. He saw Alexis had woken up and was staring at them. It was clear that the woman was aroused at the sight of their lovemaking but he could also sense fear from her. The look in her eyes as it conveyed both fear and arousal made him hard again. He untied Cissy and told her to move.

He walked to Alex and took her chin in his hand and cast the Implimens spell to bind her. He then untied her and led her to his bed. Feeling too impatient he vanished her clothes and laid her down on the bed. His breath caught as he took a good look at her. She was built like a supermodel. Her body was perfectly proportioned and she looked incredibly sexy as she looked at him with lidded eyes.

He moved to cover her placing his hands at her sides. As he lay poised over her, he started kissing her. He slowly kissed his way down her body paying particular attention to her nipples. She gasped and pulled his head closer as he slightly bit a nipple. He moved down her tummy mildly blowing on her belly button causing her to shiver with pleasure.

He parted her legs and started kissing her inner thighs. Alex, feeling too impatient tried to move his head closer to his womanhood. When Harry resisted and muttered "Patience…" she growled in annoyance. Feeling he had played around enough, he licked along the length of her slit. She shuddered and bucked as she felt him nudge her clitoris with her tongue. He inserted a finger inside her as he played her clitoris with his tongue. As he added another finger into her, the pleasure was too much for her as she came violently.

Allowing no time for her to catch her breath, he slid into her swiftly causing her to catch her breath. She started breathing raggedly as he pumped into her. The cascading pleasure she felt quickly drove her over the edge and soon Harry followed as he dumped into her with a grunt. He collapsed over her breathing hard. He turned to look at Bella who was smiling at him.

She walked to him and said "Take rest. I will be down in the sitting room." As she turned and walked out of the room he rolled off Alex and pulled her to him. As he dozed off he could feel Cissy snuggling into his back as her hand snaked around his body. He dozed off feeling very content at that moment.

* * *

Harry woke up to an insistent shaking to find Bellatrix was the one waking him. "Wake up. We have quite a few things to discuss." It was then he noticed that he was the only one in bed. The other two had apparently woken up. He padded downstairs after throwing on a robe to cover his nudity.

He found the two lounged on the sofa. They rose to greet him as they noticed him. "Hello Harry. Bella has been kind enough to fill us on everything we need to know. I have to say it was quite an interesting story." Alex nodded in affirmation.

Harry smirked at the understatement. He never expected any resistance from them as the bond took care of it. Having seen the results with Bella, he was quite confident of the bond. He took a seat facing them.

"Now that Bella has you up to date on everything, I will clear any doubts you might have." Harry said.

"Well. I do have several and I know that you can't clear everything. I doubt you know the answers to those questions. But tell me, you being here definitely is going to create a paradox."

Harry thought for a moment calmly before saying "Yes, you are right. I was afraid of that for a moment. But based on my knowledge of the future so far everything is in track. No one knew if any of you had bonded, so as long as we keep it hidden we could stray from creating a paradox. The greatest challenge will be limiting my involvement with my mother to a minimum. Now that I know that my father…" He paused for a minute. "James had been such a bastard I have a hard time from killing him. The thoughts of him laying hands on my mother makes my blood boil."

"Harry! You should be careful. You can't interfere in their relationship. If you are not born, then the entire timeline would be torn apart." Bella said vehemently.

"I know Bella but I can't help how I feel. If I had known this would be the condition I might have never made the jump. It's maddening to know what will happen and unable to stop it." Bella nodded thoughtfully at that. "Besides I think I already interfered a bit."

Bella looked at him sharply. "What did you do Harry?"

"I told her that James was going to feed her a love potion."

"Oh! Harry, Why did you that? You know what is at stakes. It could destroy everything. You really need to be careful."

"Dammit, I know. But that doesn't stop me from feeling bad. I wish there was something I could do."

Cissy laid a hand on his arm. "We will think of something Harry." Harry didn't believe her but nodded in thanks for her kind words.

"Now let us look into things that need to be done immediately. I want both of you to undergo the power enhancement ritual. Then the three of you perform the talent revealing ritual. I still mean to keep my promise to Lily." He added in response to Bella's look. She nodded in response.

The three of them padded to the potions lab where Bella had brewed the necessary potions. She gave a couple of vials saying it was for the ritual he wanted to perform along with Lily. Then they disbursed to the training room.

First Harry drew the ritual circle for the boosting ritual and had the two perform it. Then Bella handed the potion for the revealing ritual to Cissy and Alex and took a vial of her own. All of them drank it and winced at the vile taste. Harry passed a parchment to each woman. They used a knife to prick their forefinger and let a drop of blood fall on the parchment. The parchment glowed and writing appeared on the parchment.

They took a look at their parchments and passed it to Harry. Harry received the parchments and glanced at Bella's parchment first.

_Natural Occlumens  
Animagus  
Apparation  
Affinity for Transfiguration  
Wandless Magic_

"You are a natural Occlumens. That would be bloody useful for hiding secrets. No wonder your shields got so strong in a short amount of time. Hmm... Animagus, Apparation, Affinity for Transfiguration. No surprise there. What is your Animagus form by the way?"

"I am a Hawk. I am unregistered of course."

Harry nodded. "The biggest advantage is perhaps the Wandless magic. I haven't noticed you perform it before."

"I have never been able to perform it before. I don't know how I came to acquire it suddenly." Bella replied.

"I think it is a side effect of the power boosting ritual. Both of us have it too."Alex said.

Harry looked up at her in surprise hearing that. He glanced at Cissy's parchment.

_Apparation__  
Affinity for Healing  
Empathy  
Wandless Magic_

He then glanced at Alex's parchment.

_Apparation  
Animagus  
Affinity for Transfiguration  
Partial Wind Elemental  
Wandless magic_

He looked at Alex questioningly. "What is this about an elemental?" Harry asked.

"Oh. They usually cover that in your NEWT year. No wonder you haven't heard about it. Let me explain it to you.

"You might have heard Ollivander say that your wand was suited for a particular type of magic. It is actually the user and not the wand that determines it. Since the user chooses the wand we choose a wand that is attuned to that type of magic. Every person has such an affinity. We do not know how that affinity is determined. Perhaps it is determined at birth.

"Whereas that affinity is common to all, elemental affinity is less common. A wizard may feel more comfortable using a particular elemental magic such as Wind, Air, Fire or Water. Most people possess only a partial affinity towards an element. Full elementals are much rarer and require a great deal of raw magical power."

"Is there any way to determine a person's affinity?" Harry asked.

"The person will know it instinctively. You will find it much easier to cast a particular elemental magic than another. It's not a closely guarded secret either. People make no secret of what elemental they are. And you don't need to register with the ministry either. It's a magic common to all. A non-elemental can match you in power if he trains sufficiently. You just have an easier time."

Harry nodded. "Do you know of any full elementals?"

"Well, Dumbledore is an earth elemental and Voldemort is a fire elemental. I did my schooling in Beauxbatons. One of my classmates there named Apolline Cotillard was a full water elemental."

Harry registered that information when Cissy asked, "Are you going to Apolline's wedding?"

"I don't think I will. We were close but as my ideals took a definite change we drifted apart. Besides I don't like that stuck up Delacour guy she is marrying."

Harry's head shot up at that. "What did you say his name was?"

"Delacour. Jean Delacour." Alex said.

"I knew their daughter. She was a fellow contestant in the triwizard tournament. Is your friend a part Veela?" Harry asked.

"Yes. She was a half-veela. Her Mother was a full Veela." Alex replied.

"Yeah, I remember Fleur mentioning about her grandmother being a Veela." It was then he noticed Bella's thoughtful look. "What are you thinking?"

"I just had an idea." Bella said slowly.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

Bella shook her head. "There is something I want to make sure. I will tell you when I know the result." Seeing him hesitate she added "Trust me."

Harry nodded in return and turned to the other two. "I trust you both are proficient in Occlumency." Harry asked. When they nodded in reply he said "I want your shields to be impenetrable. Learn how to project false memories to the front of your mind. Bella will work with you."

Seeing both nod he said "Notify me about Voldemort's plans immediately. We can think of a way to counteract his plans without affecting the future.

"God! When I made the jump I hoped to make everything correct. I just never suspected everything to become so completely messed up."

Cissy laid a hand on his arm to comfort him. "We will think of a way Harry. Your efforts won't go to waste." Harry nodded wearily.

Harry suddenly recalled something Sirius had mentioned. "Bella, what can you tell me about Regulus?" Harry asked.

Bella thought for a second and said "Well, He is a decently powerful wizard. Good in studies but definitely not one to lead. He was forced to join Voldemort by my mother. He's not in Dumbledore's camp either but didn't want to go along with Voldemort's mindless killing either. Why do you ask?"

"I remember Sirius telling me that he was killed my Voldemort for trying to betray him. So perhaps we could get him to join us."

"Hmm. But let us be careful. He is a very cunning fellow. He was a slytherin for a reason." Harry nodded hearing that.

"Very well Ladies, I will be in the library. Call me if you need anything."

Harry walked to the library and moved to the shelf containing books on various rituals. Harry's eyes fell on a book without a title. He had noticed it the first day itself. It seemed to draw him. Knowing that he shouldn't trust such an object, he had avoided it. But today, he felt he had to read it. He felt that it would help him a lot. He didn't know why he got that feeling but decided to trust his instincts.

He picked up the book and turned the pages. He could see that the book was full of dark rituals and spells long since forgotten. Some of them were quite nasty and vaguely resembled voodoo magic.

It was then his eyes fell upon a particular page and looking at that page, he felt like he had been hit by a lightning. His eyes roamed over the page and one could feel the wheels turning in his head as he processed the information.

"Holy Shit." His whisper was the only noise in the deathly quiet room. He quickly grabbed the book and sprinted from the library. As he left the library he failed to notice a shadow move within the depths of the library. It glanced towards the shelf were the book had been and nodded almost self-satisfied.


End file.
